Posted by FireBreather on October 22, 2005, at 9:50:09
In reply to Re: Linkadge-requesting your opinion/thoughts, posted by lunesta on October 22, 2005, at 8:06:31
> this has more to due with substance P /NK1 receptors than anything. endorphins are invovved but SP/NK1 desensitation occurs. substance P is involved in sleep/anciety/pain/food intake/emesis/depresion etc..
>
> JLThe immediate effects you get the first time are endorphins, this is what keeps you coming back again. However, lunesta is correct in that over time the substance P/NK1 system comes into play, although I am still getting a great endorphin rush after the pain wears off. My ability to tolerate pain and stress is better, thanks to Substance P/NK1.
Heres a paragraph from an article I can link to stating that Capsaicin causes release of beta-endorphins.
How do Beta-endorphin, heat, and protons relate to CapsaicinÕs potential as a therapeutic? Beta-endorphin obviously relieves pain, a good feature for any analgesic agent. The fact that heat activates Substance P release demonstrates what types of pain Capsaicin would be most effective in treating. Capsaicin is most useful for treating chronic, burning pains, the best known example of which is Arthritis. This comes back to the fact that Substance P has a wide array of functions in addition to its role as a neurotransmitter. Substance P stimulates the inflammatory response in most leukocytes, and also activates keratinocytes, endothelial and epithelial cells, and fibroblasts (Lotz, 1994). Much of these interactions depend on Substance PÕs cellular environment, and are mediated by various neuropeptides, growth factors, and cytokines. The inflammatory response produces a burning sensation, which is a direct what types of stimuli activate the VR1 receptor, mediating the release of Substance P. Receptor function, the type of pain sensed as a result, and the potential therapeutic treatment become logically interrelated. Incidentally, these observations explain why we perceive chili peppers as ÒhotÓ inside our mouths. There is also reportedly a pepper ÒhighÓ associated with large amounts of pepper consumption. This refers to a short, fleeting, sense of euphoria and analgesia people sometimes may experience after eating a lot of hot peppers. Considering that Capsaicin causes the release of Beta-endorphin, which is many times more potent than Morphine inside of the CNS, this phenomena makes a great deal of sense.
poster:FireBreather
thread:570218
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20050924/msgs/570377.html